The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) has approved a $310 million financial package to FirstRand Bank, one of the largest financial institutions in Africa. This support will significantly increase access to finance for micro, small, and medium-sized business enterprises (MSMEs), with a particular focus on women-led businesses and agribusinesses in ...

Paul Makube, Senior Agricultural Economist, FNB Commercial 19 September 2024: The latest update on South Africa’s consumer price inflation showed a further slowdown to 4.4% y/y in August 2024, which is a 40-month low and now back below the SARB’s target midpoint of 4.5%. Monthly pressures from food and electricity saw headline inflation edging up ...

By Paul Makube, Senior Agricultural Economist, FNB Commercial Despite massive challenges, South Africa’s economy managed to expand by 0.6% in 2023. With a rebound of 0.1% q/q in the final quarter of 2023, South Africa (SA) avoided a technical recession. While six other sectors of the economy posted growth, the same cannot be said about ...